The first brain scans from the study have been analyzed, and
researchers have concluded that children who spend more than
seven hours a day on screens experience "premature thinning of
the cortex," Gaya Dowling, one of the study's authors, said in an
interview with "60 Minutes."

The study also found that children who have more than two
hours of screen time a day got lower scores on tests focused on
thinking and language skills.

"We'll be able to see not only how much time are they spending,
how they perceive it impacting them, but also what are some of
the outcomes," Gaya Dowling, one of the study's authors, said in
an interview with "60 Minutes." "And that will get at the
question of whether there's addiction or not."

The first findings from the study show as little as 2 hours of
screen time can be detrimental

Although researchers are just beginning their study of the
connection between screens and addiction, early results have
found that as little as two hours of screen time daily could
negatively affect children. In fact, the study found that
children who have more than two hours of screen time a day got
lower scores on tests focused on thinking and language
skills.

caption

The study found that children who have more than two hours of screen time a day got lower scores on tests focused on thinking and language skills.

source

Getty/Mario Tama

According to Dr. Dimitri Christakis, the lead author of the
American Academy of Pediatrics'
most recent screen-time guidelines, these negative effects
occur because children don't know how to translate
two-dimensional skills learned on a screen to the real,
three-dimensional world. "If you give a child an app where they
play with virtual Legos, virtual blocks, and stack them, and then
put real blocks in front of them, they start all over," he said
on "60 Minutes."

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests toddlers stay away
from screens as much as possible

The newest screen-time guidelines from the American Academy of
Pediatrics stress the importance of face-to-face communication
and suggest
parents avoid screen time for toddlers between the ages of 18
and 24 months, with the exception of video calling. The
guidelines also suggest parents accompany young children whenever
they are using screens.

"Co-viewing is best when possible and for young children they
learn best when they are re-taught in the real world what they
just learned through a screen," the guidelines noted.

As Dowling noted, a full picture of the screen-time effects won't
be possible until years down the line, when the study is
complete. The NIH, has, however, finished enrolling the 11,000
children participating in the research project.

Dowling told "60 Minutes" that the researchers hope to determine
whether screens have an addictive nature through their work over
the next decade.